Assessment of click or traffic quality

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods enable displaying an indication of traffic quality. The system retrieves keyword or other traffic data for at least one keyword associated with at least one search engine. The system compares the traffic data for a first time period to the traffic data for a second time period, according to one or more date ranges and other parameters selected by a user for each time period. As a result of the comparison, an indication of the traffic quality associated with a disparity between the first time period data and the second time period data, if any, is displayed.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 60/731,386, entitled “Assessment of Click or Traffic Quality,”filed Oct. 28, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to detection of fraudulent clicks in anonline pay-per-click environment. Pay-per-click advertising programsoffer online advertisers an immediate way to generate qualified websitetraffic by buying sponsored links on the search result pages of varioussearch engines. However, this method of advertising also is vulnerableto clicks that are not relevant, i.e., are not from traffic genuinelyinterested in the keyword and/or product or service associated with thekeyword. Non-relevant traffic is usually referred to as fraudulentclicks. A common example is a machine, rather than an actual consumer,increasing the traffic for a specific keyword. Fraudulent clicks cantake many forms, as discussed herein, each of which can have asignificant negative economic effect on the advertiser.

Traditional fraudulent clicks detection services focus on the“pre-click” environment, or the steps that take place to bring a visitorto a site, and examine current impression and click numbers. Forexample, multiple clicks for a keyword coming from a single IP addressor a single website over a short period of time indicates potentialfraudulent clicks, as does traffic from a website that is outside of thegeographical area in which the advertisement is run. However, pre-clickdata alone lacks post-click data, or a back-end analysis, such as effecton ROAS (return on advertising spend), which would help catch fraudulentclicks left undetected by this type of pre-click analysis.

SUMMARY

The present invention enables monitoring of the quality of web traffic.In various embodiments, the present invention provides methods andsystems for displaying an indication of traffic quality. The trafficquality discussed herein is primarily keyword traffic quality, which ismeasured using data (“keyword traffic data”) corresponding to varioustraffic quality metrics for traffic driven by purchased keywords,measured at two different time periods. However, the present inventionequally applies to and encompasses traffic quality for traffic withother traffic driving factors, and thus the use of keyword traffic dataherein does not limit the scope of the invention to keyword traffic. Inone embodiment, either or both of the time periods may include more thanone date range. The traffic data includes information pertaining tovarious traffic quality metrics, which include return on advertisingspend (“ROAS”), impressions, clicks, conversions, and click comparison.Using these metrics, traffic data for a first time period, including oneor more date ranges, is compared to traffic data for a second timeperiod, including one or more date ranges. Deviations between the firstand second time periods may indicate a decrease in traffic quality,e.g., caused by various forms of fraudulent clicks.

In one embodiment, keyword traffic data is retrieved for at least onekeyword associated with at least one search engine. The data isretrieved from storage and is provided as part of a bid managementsystem. The keyword traffic data for a first time period is compared tothe keyword traffic data for a second time period, according to dateranges and other parameters selected by a user. In one embodiment,either or both of the time periods may include more than one date range.For example, the “first time period” may correspond to the first week ofJune and the last week of June. As a result of the comparison, anindication of the keyword traffic quality associated with a disparitybetween the first time period data and the second time period data, ifany, is displayed. The disparity is monitored relative to a thresholdvalue corresponding to each traffic quality metric.

The display includes tabular and graphical data according to oneembodiment, as displayed in a user interface for interacting with thedata. Parameters such as search engine, traffic quality metric, and dateranges can be edited by the user.

The description in the specification is not all inclusive and, inparticular, many additional features will be apparent to one of ordinaryskill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims.Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specificationhas been principally selected for readability and instructionalpurposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribethe inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of displaying trafficquality according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A illustrates a system useful for practicing the present inventionaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 2B illustrates an example of an architecture for a networkaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 2C is a block diagram illustrating software modules used by aclient according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A illustrates a user interface showing a traffic quality summarypage according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B illustrates a user interface showing a traffic quality summarypage according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A illustrates a user interface showing a traffic quality alertthreshold page according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B illustrates a user interface showing a traffic quality alertthreshold page according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5A illustrates a user interface showing an ROAS quality report pageaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5B illustrates a user interface showing an ROAS quality report pageaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5C illustrates a user interface showing an ROAS keyword report pageaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5D illustrates a user interface showing an ROAS keyword report pageaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6A-C illustrate user interfaces showing traffic quality reportpages for several traffic quality metrics according to variousembodiments of the present invention.

One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the followingdiscussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methodsillustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principlesof the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is now described more fully with reference to theaccompanying Figures, in which several embodiments of the invention areshown. The present invention may be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will becomplete and will fully convey the invention to those skilled in theart.

In particular, in the following description the invention is set forthwith respect to displaying keyword traffic quality. However, one skilledin the art will recognize that the techniques described herein can beemployed in the context of storage of other types of information aswell. Accordingly, the particular context used herein for describing theinvention is intended to be illustrative only, and is not intended tolimit the scope of the invention in any way.

Referring now to FIG. 1, it is a flowchart illustrating a method ofdisplaying traffic quality according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. The traffic quality discussed herein is primarily keywordtraffic quality, which is measured using data (“keyword traffic data”)corresponding to various traffic quality metrics for traffic driven bypurchased keywords, measured at two different time periods. However, thepresent invention equally applies to and encompasses traffic quality fortraffic with other traffic driving factors, and thus the use of keywordtraffic data herein does not limit the scope of the invention to keywordtraffic. Initially, keyword traffic data is retrieved 110 for a keywordassociated with at least one search engine. The keyword traffic dataincludes information pertaining to various traffic quality metrics.Traffic quality metrics include, but are not limited to, return onadvertising spend (“ROAS”), impressions, clicks, conversions, and clickcomparison as described herein. A significant decrease in ROAS for atime period, e.g., the current period, as compared to another timeperiod, e.g., a previous week, month, etc., is an indicator of possibleunqualified search traffic to a website. A significant increase inimpressions for a time period, e.g., the current period, over anothertime period, e.g., a previous time period, without a correspondingincrease in click throughs, indicates possible deliberate attempts tolower the relevance of the keywords. A significant increase in clickthroughs to a website indicates the possibility that unqualified trafficto the website is causing increased cost. A significant difference inthe average ratio of conversions to clicks indicates possible fraud.Conversions include orders, sales, etc. according to one embodiment. Thedifference between clicks as registered by a web analytics system andclicks as measured by a search engine may indicate potential fraud. Thedata is retrieved from storage, e.g., from database 203 as described inconjunction with FIG. 2B, in response to a client request according toone embodiment. The request pertains to specific time periods for thedata and one or more traffic quality metrics according to oneembodiment, as described below in conjunction with FIGS. 5A-6C. The datais collected on a continuous basis according to one embodiment.According to one embodiment, the data is provided by a bid managementsystem. An advantage of this aspect of the present invention is the useof both pre-click analysis of factors that drive traffic to a website,and post-click analysis of what happens at the website, or once thewebsite is reached.

After retrieving 110 the keyword traffic data, the data for a first timeperiod is compared 120 to the keyword traffic data for a second timeperiod. The time periods are selected by a user via a user interface,e.g., page 400 as shown in FIG. 4A, as part of a request to displaytraffic quality data according to one embodiment. As discussed above, inone embodiment, either or both of the time periods may include more thanone date range. The requested data, and the disparity between the datasets, if any, also are prepared for display according to one embodiment.

Then, the traffic quality data is displayed 130. According to oneembodiment, the data is displayed as a summary indication of keywordtraffic quality. For example, indicators associated with various trafficquality metrics display the status of the metrics for the requestedkeywords and search engines. In one embodiment, the indicators areindicator icons 320 as described below. According to another embodiment,the traffic quality data is displayed as one or more reports. Thereports correspond to all keywords for a particular search engine andtraffic quality metric according to one embodiment. The reportscorrespond to a single keyword according to another embodiment. In oneembodiment, the reports allow a side by side comparison of datacorresponding to two time periods, as well as data detailing thedisparity between the two periods. The reports include the ability tocompare data between two or more traffic quality metrics according toone embodiment. Examples of reports are shown in FIGS. 5A-6C. In oneembodiment, the user can adjust various parameters of the reports asdescribed herein.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, there is shown an example of a system 200useful for practicing the present invention according to one embodiment.One skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can bepracticed using other embodiments that differ from the examples shown.

System Architecture

The system 200 includes a client 201, a network 202, and optionally acache 209, for displaying keyword traffic quality according to oneembodiment. The client 201 includes software including of a number ofexecutable code portions and data files. These include code for viewingand interacting with website usage reports according to one embodimentof the present invention, as well as for supporting functionality of auser interface, as will be described in greater detail in conjunctionwith FIG. 2C.

Client 201 is responsible for orchestrating the processes performedaccording to the methods of the present invention. For example, client201 receives input 212 from an input device, and sends reports todisplay 207 (or other output device) for output to the user. Client 201runs on a standard personal computer.

Network 202 is a centralized network for handling and responding toclient requests for data on website usage, as described further inconjunction with FIG. 2B.

A cache 209, if present, is a standard cache of small, fast memoryholding recently accessed data. The cache 209 may include, for example alist of hash codes or other look up tables for report data as describedbelow.

In one embodiment, the components shown in FIG. 2A operate as follows.When a user requests one or more traffic quality reports via an inputdevice 210, client 201 receives input 212 to this effect. Client 201sends a query 203 to network 202, specifying which reports arerequested, and optionally specifying one or more date ranges for thereports. In one embodiment, query 203 is in XML format.

In response to query 203, network 202 returns data 204 that contains arepresentation of the report data. Data 204, in various embodiments, maybe coded or not, and may be hashed data or may be included in a standardlook up table. For example, data 204 may specify, in hash coded terms,the text string name of an item in a report. The data 204 is received byclient 201.

Client 201 stores, in local cache 209 in one embodiment, a list ofpreviously received and decoded hash codes or look up table information,so that it can correctly interpret a hash code or table data that it hasencountered previously. In one embodiment, local cache 209 is used andis cleared at the end of a session, so that only those codes previouslyreceived in the same session are stored in cache 209. In otherembodiments, local cache 209 is implemented in a more persistent or lesspersistent fashion, depending on user needs.

Upon receiving data 204, client 201 consults cache 209 if present; ifcache 209 contains the hash code(s) or meanings of data 204 (in otherwords, if client 201 has previously received data containing the samehash code/meaning), client 201 can interpret the meaning of thehash-coded or look-up tabled data without any further communication withnetwork 202. If hash code(s)/meaning(s) from data 204 is/are notpresent, client 201 sends a query 205 to network 202; network 202responds by sending translation 206 to client 201. Translation 206provides client 201 with the meaning of terms. In one embodiment, client201 stores this meaning in cache 209 for future use.

Once client 201 has received sufficient data to generate a report, itsends the traffic quality report to display 207 for output to the user.In one embodiment, if some meanings have not yet been received, client201 still sends the report, and the report states that certain terms areunknown. In another embodiment, client 201 displays an error messageand/or waits until more complete meaning data is available.

The user can interact with the displayed traffic quality report via userinput device 210 such as a mouse, keyboard, or the like, and via a userinterface, e.g., as described herein. The user can change the timeperiods for the report; in response client 201 generates and sends a newquery 203 containing the new time period criteria. The above processthen repeats, and an updated report is sent to display 207.

Referring now to FIG. 2B, there is shown an example of an architecturefor network 202 according to one embodiment. Network 202 includes anynumber of front-end web servers 250 that receive queries 203, 205 fromclient 201, and any number of back-end servers 260 that obtain data fromstorage, e.g., from database 270, analyze the obtained data, and sendreport data back to client 201. Servers 250, 260 are computers ordevices that send and receive information using well known networkprotocols, such as TCP/IP and HTTP, for communication across a network.Back-end servers 260 send an appropriate data set to client 201 based onthe filter request. For example, if a filter request specifies that theuser is only interested in visitors that used a particular web browser,back-end servers 260 remove the data that does not match the specifiedcriterion, and only forward to client 201 the data that does match.

Network 202 also includes, or interfaces with, one or more searchengines 245, a web analytics system 255, and a bid management system 265according to one embodiment. Search engines 245 are web-based softwarethat enables users to search the Internet using keywords. The webanalytics system 255 is provides analysis of website visitation data. Anexample of a web analytics system is Site Catalyst manufactured byOmniture of Orem, Utah. The bid management system 265 is a system thatmanages sponsored links or listings, for which advertisers bid againsteach other for ranking on keyword phrases in the paid listings. Anexample of a bid management system 265 is Search Center, manufactured byOmniture of Orem, Utah.

Database 270 may be a relational database or any other type of databasethat stores the data used by client 201. Database 270 may be accessibleby client 201 through a user interface, e.g., as described inconjunction with FIGS. 5A-6C.

Database 270 contains traffic quality data, which in one embodiment isstored in a binary format stored in some storage medium such as a harddrive. In one embodiment, the website visitation data is broken up intofiles, or “bricks,” to facilitate extraction of portions of the data.When servers 260 extract data from database 270, they are provided withspecific bricks that match the criteria.

In one embodiment, when the user requests a report showing trafficquality data for one or more specified time periods, back-end servers260 extract data from database 270 that contains traffic logs and/orstatistics. In one embodiment, servers 260 obtain data from database 270that represents a snapshot of website visitation over a specified timeperiod. Servers 260 then store this data in temporary local storage(such as random access memory), using for example a binary format thatis encoded according to an algorithm so as to minimize bandwidth usage.In one embodiment, this binary format is identical to the format used indatabase 270, so that no file format translation need be performed whenservers 260 extract data from database 270. Servers 260 and then applydate or other parameters as requested, and send the resulting data toclient 201.

In one embodiment, whenever the user requests a broader date range forwebsite visitation data, back-end servers 260 perform a new dataextraction from database 270. However, when the user narrows the daterange from a previously specified range, no new data extraction isperformed; rather back-end servers 260 filter the previously extracteddata according to the new filter parameters.

FIG. 2C is a block diagram illustrating software modules used by aclient according to one embodiment of the present invention. The modulesinclude of a number of executable code portions and data files. Theseinclude code for creating and supporting a user interface according toone embodiment of the present invention, as well as for supportingcomparison and monitoring of traffic quality. The modules include aretrieve module 275, a compare module 280, and a display/UI module 285.

The retrieve module 275 is configured for retrieving keyword trafficdata for at least one keyword associated with at least one searchengine. The keyword traffic data includes information pertaining tovarious traffic quality metrics, including ROAS, impressions, clicks,conversions, and click comparison according to one embodiment. The datais retrieved from storage according to one embodiment, e.g., fromdatabase 203 as described in conjunction with FIG. 2B. In oneembodiment, the data is provided by a bid management system. The requestpertains to specific time periods for the data and one or more trafficquality metrics according to one embodiment.

The compare module 280 compares traffic quality data for a first timeperiod to traffic quality data for a second time period according to oneembodiment. The time periods are selected by a user via a user interfaceaccording to one embodiment. In one embodiment, either or both of thetime periods may include more than one date range.

The display/UI module 285 prepares requested data, and the disparitybetween the data sets, if any, for display according to one embodiment.The traffic quality data is displayed as a summary indication of keywordtraffic quality or displayed as one or more reports according to variousembodiments. The reports include the ability to compare data between twoor more traffic quality metrics according to one embodiment.

The above software portions 275-285 need not be discrete softwaremodules. The software configuration shown is meant only by way ofexample; other configurations are contemplated by and within the scopeof the present invention.

One skilled in the art will recognize that the system architectureillustrated in FIGS. 2A-C is merely exemplary, and that the inventionmay be practiced and implemented using many other architectures andenvironments.

User Interface

FIG. 3A illustrates a user interface showing a traffic quality summarypage 300 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Thetraffic quality summary page 300 displays a summary of the trafficquality information that is detailed further on other user interfacepages.

The traffic quality summary page 300 includes a summary indicator area305, a controls area 310, and a definitions area 315. The summaryindicator area 305 displays indicators, or indicator icons, of trafficquality 320 for one or more search engines 325 corresponding to varioustraffic quality metrics 330. For each metric 330 and search engine 325,an indicator of traffic quality 320 shows the current state of thatmetric 330, with respect to a threshold corresponding to the metric 330according to one embodiment. In the embodiment shown, the legend 335indicates that a circle with a check mark indicates that traffic qualityfor a metric 330 is within the threshold for that metric 330, a trianglewith an exclamation mark indicates that the traffic quality isapproaching the threshold, and an octagon with an X in the middleindicates that the threshold has been met or exceeded. Other methods ofvisually distinguishing the traffic quality statuses are used accordingto other embodiments, for example using various colors (e.g., green,yellow, red), sizes, etc. An adjust thresholds link 340 allows the userto change the thresholds according to one embodiment, as discussed belowin conjunction with FIGS. 4A-4B.

The controls area 310 displays links 345 for launching more detailedreports associated with each traffic quality metric 330 according to oneembodiment. Clicking on any of the links 345 launches the detailedreport associated with the metric 330, as discussed in conjunction withFIGS. 5A-6B The definitions area 315 defines for the user the data thatgoes into each of the traffic quality metrics 330 according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 3B illustrates a user interface showing a traffic quality summarypage 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Inthis example, the focus of the page 300 is the summary indicator area305, which displays indicator icons 320 for each search engine 325 andtraffic quality metric 330 that function similar to the same userinterface elements described above according to one embodiment. Thesummary page 300 of FIG. 3B also includes a definition area 315.

FIG. 4A illustrates a user interface showing a traffic quality alertthreshold page 400 according to one embodiment of the present invention.The alert threshold page 400 includes threshold selection fields 405that allow the user, for each traffic quality metric 330, to set analert threshold 405 according to one embodiment. In addition, send emailcheckboxes 410 allow the user to select whether to send an email 410when traffic quality data approaches, meets, or exceeds the selectedthreshold 405 according to one embodiment. The thresholds 405 are set ata default value, which the user can change, according to one embodiment.The alert threshold page 400 also includes an email address recipientfield 415, for selecting one or more email addresses to which alertsshould be sent for the send email checkboxes 410 selected, if anyaccording to one embodiment. The threshold 405 selections made on thealert threshold page 400 provide the thresholds for the indicators oftraffic quality 320 described in conjunction with FIGS. 3A-3B accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 4B illustrates a user interface showing a traffic quality alertthreshold page 400 according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. This example illustrates an alternative layout of thethreshold selection fields 405, send email checkboxes 410, and emailaddress recipient field 415 for the traffic quality metrics 330according to one embodiment. In this example, clicking on any of thetraffic quality metrics 330, displays a report specific to that metric330, as discussed in conjunction with FIGS. 5A-6C.

FIG. 5A illustrates a user interface showing an ROAS quality report page500 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The ROASquality report page 500 includes a controls area 310, a parameter area505, a graphical display area 510, and a tabular display area 515according to one embodiment.

The controls area 310, in addition to including links 345 for launchingdetailed reports associated with other traffic quality metrics 330,includes a first time period selector 520 and a second time periodselector 525 according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, either orboth of the time periods may include more than one date range. The dataon the ROAS quality report page is compared using the first time periodand second time period chosen via the selectors 520-525, and anydisparity between the periods is measured against thresholds 405described in conjunction with the alert threshold page 400. Note thatthe comparison is specific to a particular traffic quality metric 330according to one embodiment, which is ROAS in the example shown in FIG.5A.

The parameter area 505 includes various parameters pertaining to thedisplayed data, e.g., the date ranges 530 selected for comparison, theselected search engine 535, method of data breakdown in the display 540,and the traffic quality metric 330 displayed according to oneembodiment. The date ranges 530 correspond to the time periods 520-525selected in the controls area 310. The selected search engine 535 liststhe name of the search engine corresponding to the keyword trafficquality data displayed according to one embodiment. The data breakdownmethod 540 indicates the granularity or parameter by which the displayeddata is detailed. The search engine 535, data breakdown method 540, andtraffic quality metric 330 each can be changed by clicking on theparameter currently displayed according to one embodiment.

The graphical display area 510 shows a graphical representation ofpercentages of the selected traffic quality metric 330 for the two timeperiods 520-525 according to one embodiment, e.g., for ROAS as shown inFIG. 5A. In this example, the data is shown as a summary for allkeywords associated with the selected search engine 535 and trafficquality metric 330.

The tabular display area 515 shows rows and columns of detailed data forthe selected search engine 535 and traffic quality metric 330 accordingto one embodiment. The tabular display area 515 includes a listing ofthe keywords 545 included in the data, the data 550-555 corresponding tothe traffic quality metric 330 for the first 520 and second time periods525 for each keyword 545, and the disparity 560, if any, between thefirst 520 and second time periods 525 for each keyword 545. In oneembodiment, the disparity 560 indicates the actual change between thefirst 520 and second time periods 525 and the percentage change. Adecrease in disparity 560 is visually distinguished from an increase indisparity 560 according to one embodiment, e.g., using different colorsor other emphasis.

FIG. 5B illustrates a user interface showing an ROAS quality report page500 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In thisexample, most of the components and functionality are similar to thatdescribed in conjunction with FIG. 5A. One difference in the exampledepicted is in the graphical display area 510. The graphicalrepresentation shown includes percentages for the selected trafficquality metric 330 for the two time periods 520-525 for each keywordinstead of a summary of the combined values. Clicking on one of thekeywords 545 displays a keyword specific traffic quality report pageaccording to one embodiment, e.g., as shown in FIG. 5C.

FIG. 5C illustrates a user interface showing an ROAS keyword report page575 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In thisexample, most of the components and functionality are similar to thatdescribed in conjunction with the pages 500 described in conjunctionwith FIGS. 5A-5B, applied to a single keyword. One difference in theexample depicted is in the parameter area 505. The search engine 535listed can be changed by the user via a dropdown menu according to oneembodiment. Similarly, the traffic quality metric 330 displayed can bechanged by the user via a drop down menu according to one embodiment.Changing the traffic quality metric 330 would display the keyword reportpage for the selected traffic quality metric 330 according to oneembodiment. Another difference in the example depicted is in thegraphical display area 510. The data shown is a day-by-day detail of theROAS values, rather than the bar graph covering the entire period asshown in FIGS. 5A-5B. One additional difference in the example depictedis in the tabular display area 515. The data 580 displayed isday-by-day, similar to the data in the graphical display area 510according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5D illustrates a user interface showing an ROAS keyword report page575 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In thisexample, most of the components and functionality are similar to thatdescribed in conjunction with FIG. 5C.

FIGS. 6A-C illustrate user interfaces showing traffic quality reportpages 585-595 for several traffic quality metrics according to variousembodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6A shows an impressionquality report page 585, which is similar to the ROAS quality reportpage 500 shown in FIG. 5A, but for a different traffic quality metric.Likewise, FIG. 6B shows a conversion quality report 590 and FIG. 6Cshows a click analysis quality report 595. The click analysis qualityreport 595 example shown also includes the ability to compare databetween two or more traffic quality metrics 330 for the two time periods520-525.

The present invention has been described in particular detail withrespect to one possible embodiment. Those of skill in the art willappreciate that the invention may be practiced in other embodiments.First, the particular naming of the components, capitalization of terms,the attributes, data structures, or any other programming or structuralaspect is not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms thatimplement the invention or its features may have different names,formats, or protocols. Further, the system may be implemented via acombination of hardware and software, as described, or entirely inhardware elements. Also, the particular division of functionalitybetween the various system components described herein is merelyexemplary, and not mandatory; functions performed by a single systemcomponent may instead be performed by multiple components, and functionsperformed by multiple components may instead performed by a singlecomponent.

Some portions of above description present the features of the presentinvention in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations ofoperations on information. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. These operations, while describedfunctionally or logically, are understood to be implemented by computerprograms. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient at times, to referto these arrangements of operations as modules or by functional names,without loss of generality.

Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the abovediscussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description,discussions utilizing terms such as “determining” or “displaying” or thelike, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similarelectronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms datarepresented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computersystem memories or registers or other such information storage,transmission or display devices.

Certain aspects of the present invention include process steps andinstructions described herein in the form of an algorithm. It should benoted that the process steps and instructions of the present inventioncould be embodied in software, firmware or hardware, and when embodiedin software, could be downloaded to reside on and be operated fromdifferent platforms used by real time network operating systems.

The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing theoperations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computerselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored on acomputer readable medium that can be accessed by the computer. Such acomputer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium,such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks,optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories(ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic oroptical cards, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or anytype of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and eachcoupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore, the computers referred toin the specification may include a single processor or may bearchitectures employing multiple processor designs for increasedcomputing capability.

The algorithms and operations presented herein are not inherentlyrelated to any particular computer or other apparatus. Variousgeneral-purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordancewith the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct morespecialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The requiredstructure for a variety of these systems will be apparent to those ofskill in the, along with equivalent variations. In addition, the presentinvention is not described with reference to any particular programminglanguage. It is appreciated that a variety of programming languages maybe used to implement the teachings of the present invention as describedherein, and any references to specific languages are provided forinvention of enablement and best mode of the present invention.

The present invention is well suited to a wide variety of computernetwork systems over numerous topologies. Within this field, theconfiguration and management of large networks comprise storage devicesand computers that are communicatively coupled to dissimilar computersand storage devices over a network, such as the Internet.

Finally, it should be noted that the language used in the specificationhas been principally selected for readability and instructionalpurposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribethe inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosure of the presentinvention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scopeof the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying an indication of traffic quality, the method comprising: receiving from a user interface of a computer, a selection of a first time period and a second time period for comparing quality of traffic referred to a website by a given entity, wherein: the traffic is associated with a plurality of users referred to the website by the given entity; and the quality of the traffic is quantified by a plurality of metrics that are dependent on interactions between each user and the website occurring subsequent to the user arriving at the website; receiving from the user interface of the computer, respective user-specified threshold values for each of the metrics; retrieving, by the computer, traffic data stored for the first time period and traffic data stored for the second time period, the traffic data indicating respective values for the traffic quality metrics for the first and second time periods; determining, by the computer, disparities between the respective values for the traffic quality metrics for the first time period and those for the second time period; determining, by the computer, whether one or more of the disparities are indicative of click-fraud based on comparing the disparities to the respective user-specified thresholds; and displaying, by the computer, an indication of whether one or more of the disparities is indicative of click-fraud, according to said determining whether the one or more disparities are indicative of click-fraud.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic data is retrieved from storage.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic data is provided by a bid management system.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic quality metrics are selected from a group consisting of revenue over ad spend, impressions, clicks, conversions, and click comparisons.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising preparing the traffic data for display.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of quality is a summary indicator icon.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of quality is a traffic quality report comprising the first time period data, the second time period data, and a disparity between the first time period data and the second time period data corresponding to a traffic quality metric.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the given entity corresponds to a search engine.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an indication of whether another of the one or more of the disparities is indicative of click-fraud in response to user input.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a refinement of the indication associated with at least one keyword.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time period data comprises more than one date range.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second time period data comprises more than one date range.
 13. A computer program product for displaying an indication of traffic quality, the computer program product comprising: a computer-readable medium; and computer program code, coded on the medium, for: receiving from a user interface, a selection of a first time period and a second time period for comparing quality of traffic referred to a website by a given entity, wherein: the traffic is associated with a plurality of users referred to the website by the given entity; and the quality of the traffic is quantified by a plurality of metrics that are dependent on interactions between each user and the website occurring subsequent to the user arriving at the website; receiving from the user interface, respective user-specified threshold values for each of the metrics; retrieving traffic data stored for the first time period and traffic data stored for the second time period, the traffic data indicating respective values for the traffic quality metrics for the first and second time periods; determining, by the computer, whether one or more of the disparities are indicative of click-fraud based on comparing the disparities to the respective user-specified thresholds; and displaying, by the computer, an indication of whether one or more of the disparities is indicative of click-fraud, according to said determining whether the one or more disparities are indicative of click-fraud.
 14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the traffic data is provided by a bid management system.
 15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the traffic quality metrics are selected from a group consisting of revenue over ad spend, impressions, clicks, conversions, and click comparisons.
 16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the indication of traffic quality is a traffic quality report comprising the first time period data, the second time period data, and a disparity between the first time period data and the second time period data corresponding to one or more of the traffic quality metrics.
 17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the first time period data comprises more than one date range.
 18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the second time period data comprises more than one date range.
 19. A computer readable memory storing a computer program executable by a processor, the computer program producing a user interface for displaying an indication of traffic quality, the user interface comprising: a software portion for receiving user input to display an indication of traffic quality; a software portion for receiving user input selecting date ranges for a first time period and date ranges for a second time period for comparing quality of traffic referred to a website by a given entity, wherein: the traffic is associated with a plurality of users referred to the website by the given entity; and the quality of the traffic is quantified by a plurality of metrics that are dependent on interactions between each user and the website occurring subsequent to the user arriving at the website; a software portion for receiving from the user interface, respective user-specified threshold values for each of the metrics; a software portion for comparing the traffic data for the first time period selected from the user input to the traffic data for the second time period selected from the user input to determine disparities between respective values for the traffic quality metrics for the first time period and those for the second time period; a software portion for determining whether one or more of the disparities are indicative of click-fraud based on comparing the disparities to the respective user-specified thresholds; and a software portion for displaying an indication of whether one or more of the disparities is indicative of click-fraud, according to said determining whether the one or more disparities are indicative of click-fraud.
 20. The computer readable memory of claim 19, wherein the indication comprises tabular data.
 21. The computer readable memory of claim 19, wherein the indication comprises graphical data.
 22. The computer readable memory of claim 19, wherein the traffic data is provided by a bid management system.
 23. The computer readable memory of claim 19, wherein the traffic quality metrics are selected from a group consisting of revenue over ad spend, impressions, clicks, conversions, and click comparisons.
 24. The computer readable memory of claim 19, wherein the indication of traffic quality is a traffic quality report comprising the first time period data, the second time period data, and a disparity between the first time period data and the second time period data corresponding to one or more of the traffic quality metrics.
 25. The computer readable memory of claim 19, wherein the first time period data comprises more than one date range.
 26. The computer readable memory of claim 19, wherein the second time period data comprises more than one date range. 